All persecuted
- Home
- All persecuted
Andrei was arrested on September 30, 2021, in connection with a criminal case opened for online comments following the deaths of KGB officer Dmitry Fedosyuk and IT specialist Andrei Zeltser in Minsk.
In October 2022, he was found guilty of "inciting hatred or discord" and "insulting a government official" and sentenced to imprisonment.
He was released in the winter of 2023, having fully served his sentence.
Roman was arrested on October 1, 2021, in connection with a criminal case opened for online comments following the deaths of KGB officer Dmitry Fedosyuk and IT specialist Andrei Zeltser in Minsk.
In September 2022, he was found guilty of "inciting hatred or discord" and "insulting a government official," and sentenced to imprisonment and a large fine.
He was released in March 2023, having fully served his sentence.
- Associations
- Associations
Grigory was convicted in October 2021 on charges of threatening to use violence against law enforcement officers. According to the prosecution, on August 11, 2020, he was at the intersection of Timiryazev and Saperov Streets in Minsk, intending to obstruct the lawful activities of police officers and, in retaliation for their actions, throwing unidentified objects at them, including chicken eggs, which landed on the hood of a traffic police car.
Pavel was convicted of, according to the charges, acting in a group with other people, throwing pieces of paving slabs and other objects at police cars.
In February 2022, by a court decision, Pavel's sentence was replaced with a stricter one - imprisonment.
According to human rights activists, he was released in July 2023, having fully served his sentence imposed by the court.
Arseniy was convicted of allegedly acting in a group with others to throw pieces of paving slabs and other objects at police cars during the August 2020 protests in Lida.
According to human rights activists, he was released in January 2025, having fully served his sentence.
- Associations
- Journalists
- Associations
- Journalists
Gennady, a journalist for Komsomolskaya Pravda, was detained in the fall of 2021 following a search of his home as part of a criminal investigation opened following the deaths of KGB officer Dmitry Fedosyuk and IT specialist Andrei Zeltser in Minsk. The case stemmed from an article about Zeltser published in the newspaper.
In March 2023, Gennady was found guilty of "inciting hatred or discord" and "insulting Lukashenko." According to the prosecution, Gennady, "acting out of political and ideological hatred, committed a number of crimes between June 23, 2020, and October 2021." He also "produced and posted negative, obscene, and unacceptable" statements about Lukashenko online.
He was released in November 2023, having fully served his sentence.
Alexander was found guilty in the fall of 2021 for a comment left on the social network Odnoklassniki under a post about police officer Igor Volnich.
In May 2024, another court hearing was held against Alexander under the article "hooliganism", the outcome of which is unknown.
Anna was convicted in the fall of 2021 for a comment she left on the Telegram channel "Punishermen of Belarus" under a post about Senior Assistant Prosecutor Valeria Taratynko, who supported the prosecution in numerous politically motivated cases.
In addition, Taratynko demanded compensation for moral damages, which, in her opinion, were expressed in feelings of anxiety, resentment and humiliation.
Sudnik was initially charged with "insulting a government official" for her remarks about Oleg Gaidukevich. However, since the "crime" was committed during a phone call to 911, it was deemed non-public, and the charges were dropped.
At the same time, a similar argument was not applied to the charge of "insulting Lukashenko." The court found that the police officer, having heard the offensive remarks, passed them on to others, thereby making them public. Ultimately, Sudnik was found guilty of calling the police twice on January 6, 2021, and insulting Lukashenko.
- Associations
- Parents of minors
- Associations
- Parents of minors
Nadezhda was found guilty in September 2021 of insulting a public official — a police officer — on social media. He failed to appear at the court hearing.
In addition to restricting freedom, the court satisfied the material claim of the “victim” and ordered that he be paid moral compensation.
Dmitry was convicted for a comment he left on the Telegram channel "Lukhta" under a post about the deanonymization of Ruslan Kutsko, an operative in the economic crimes unit of the criminal police of the Ivatsevichy District Executive Committee. According to the indictment, he allegedly intended to publicly humiliate the honor and dignity of a government official.
The sentence ended on October 27, 2023.
- Associations
- Parents of minors
- Associations
- Parents of minors
Stepan was arrested in connection with the protests in Pinsk on the night of August 9-10, 2020, and convicted of participating in "mass riots." He was accused of attempting to hit police officers, as well as hitting a shield that hit the leg of police officer Polivoda.
At the trial, Stepan explained that he tried to pass by, but was pushed by a shield, he fell, and cut his knee. According to him, the gesture that looked like a throw on the video was actually an attempt to fix his sleeve.
He was released in February 2024, having served his entire sentence as determined by the court.
- Associations
- Activists
- Associations
- Activists
Ilya, a Gomel volunteer and well-known rock concert organizer, was detained by KGB officers on July 8, 2021. He was arrested as a witness in a case involving an "act of terrorism," but was released on July 16.
Ilya was arrested again on September 30, 2021, in connection with a criminal case opened for online comments following the deaths of KGB officer Dmitry Fedosyuk and IT specialist Andrei Zeltser in Minsk. He was initially charged with "inciting hatred or discord," but during the investigation, the charge was changed to "discrediting the Republic of Belarus."
Ilya visited court hearings for political prisoners, helped with parcels, and wrote letters of support. His "Write Letters" initiative was shortlisted for the 2021 National Human Rights Award in the "Campaign/Initiative of the Year" category. Even behind bars, he continued to support Belarusians with letters of solidarity.
In October 2022, Ilya was found guilty and sentenced to imprisonment in a penal colony and a large fine. He was released in court because his time in custody exceeded his sentence.
After his release, political persecution continued: Ilya was repeatedly subjected to administrative charges and searches. Ultimately, he was forced to leave Belarus.
In November 2023, it became known that a new criminal case had been opened against him, and his Facebook page was recognized as “extremist.”
Yuri was first detained on August 11, 2020, in Gomel and brutally beaten at the Novobelitsky District Police Department. He was charged with participating in an unsanctioned public event and sentenced to 12 days of administrative arrest.
In July 2021, Yuri was arrested again, this time in connection with a criminal case opened under the articles "insulting a government official," "insulting a judge," and "insulting Lukashenko." According to the prosecution, he subscribed to Telegram channels that published the personal information of law enforcement officers and, from December 2020 to April 2021, posted "offensive comments expressed in an obscene manner."
In November 2021, Yuri was found guilty of insulting 23 people — officials, judges, police officers, prosecutors, and Lukashenko — and sentenced to compulsory treatment in a psychiatric hospital.
Yuri was not present at the court hearings. According to his relatives, he was depressed, suffered panic attacks, and suffered from psychosomatic disorders. He also reportedly lost more than 35 kilograms during his imprisonment. His father acted as his legal representative.
Nikolai was arrested in September 2021 for graffiti at an abandoned construction site and found guilty in December of that year of "desecration of buildings and damage to property."
He was released in September 2022, having fully served his sentence.